OK, this is the first attempt to a story I have ever
posted online. Don't laugh at me. :) just kiddin. I'm not
sure exactly what to put on the header here so I will say this is my half assed
attempt at a disclaimer. All the characters save Ryan (Anna) & Amy
Cahill and Christopher & Maggie James, Bowdry and his gang and a few extras
here and there are the property of their respective creators for The Young
Riders TV series. I don't know exactly who you are but you do. All
this story is is an attempt to amuse myself and will never be used for anything
besides that.
The girls rode into St. Joseph with great anticipation. Ryan couldn't remember the last time she was so antsy for something. To Ryan, St. Jo meant a warm bath and a clean bed. To her cousin Amy, it meant Christopher James. The girls had been following Bowdry, the man who ruined their lives in a flash of seconds for three long months. They were determined to give him and his men exactly what they deserved, a bullet in the gut. There were five of them in all, each a slime hired gun that shot and killed their families for a pocket full of change.
The cousins straightened themselves up on their mounts and put on hard faces. Learning the hard way, they found out it best that they made themselves into boys for this hunt. Not many people were too keen on women riding around dressed in pants like they did. It wasn't a hard task though. All they had to do was wear their Pa's clothes, a hat and guns, well, and bind certain parts of their body. The fact that their Pa's wanted boys and had raised the girls to shoot, ride, track and hunt made every bit of a difference. Ryan passes as a boy better than Amy because she just carried herself differently, and she was physically and emotionally stronger than her cousin. The murders had changed her whole outlook on life itself, and as a result, Ryan had become hard and distant.
The sight of St. Joseph sent a whirlwind of emotions throughout Amy. She couldn't think straight being so close to the man she knew she would spend the rest of her life with. But, the whole crazy turn of events in her life had changed the situation completely. The only thing left dear to her besides Ryan was somewhere in the city, waiting for her. Amy didn't have the heart to leave Ryan alone to finish what they had started so she had promised herself she wouldn't let Christopher get in her way of revenge.
They quickly found a hotel in the busy little city and Ryan threw herself on the soft bed. Within seconds, she had fallen fast asleep, completely exhausted. Amy took a bath and dressed in the only dress she had been able to salvage. "Hey Ry" she whispered excited. "Huh?" Ryan mumbled out slowly through the pillow. "I'm headin out. See ya later" she smiled full of excitement. "K" she mumbled again. Ryan sighed, knowing she should get up and take a bath. The thought of laying in that smooth warm water changed her mind about getting up. She quickly drew the bath, a smile on her face. She laughed to herself knowing exactly where her cousin was headed. Straight to that beautiful home owned by the James family, straight into the arms of her love. Ryan slowly sank into the soothing bath, sighing at the amazing and relaxing feeling. Her body had taken a beating while on the ride, not to mention the getting thrown a few times by her hard headed mare. This was a long awaited, long needed rest.
Soaking in the tub, Ryan began to daydream about her past, her life before....before Bowdry killed it. She remembered how she and Amy used to run wild through the fields of sweetgrass, carefree and happy. She could almost smell the sweet perfume of all the wild flowers that decorated their land with an unending array of living color.... the proud look on their Pa's faces when they learned how to shoot bottles off of the fence with their Colts. Life was so much more simple then. Things have definitely changed, as their whole world had been turned upside down. The only things left were their memories, and for Ryan, her burning desire for revenge. Amy on the other hand was in love and better off with Christopher. Ryan smiled with her eyes closed as she ran her plan through her head. The only thing left for her to do now was to leave. Amy wasn't cut out for killin.
Ryan and Amy had been only one step behind Bowdry their whole trip, but Ryan got wind of Bowdry's whereabouts and that he was going to stay put for a while. She had gotten Amy to her love, now, she had hoped he'd ask her cousin to marry him. Ryan then planned to slip out of St. Joseph while Amy was distracted and do the killin herself. Amy deserved a better life than that. Ryan's father had taught her how to not leave a trail and knew she could make sure Amy couldn't fallow. Ryan eventually fell asleep in the bath, her Colts in hands reach, like always.
When she awoke, she thought it best she went looking for her cousin. She dressed in her pants and shirt, braided her long brown hair down her back and put on her hat. She smiled as she picked up her guns from the floor and slipped the belt on. It was her father's most prized possession. Silver Army Colts with a beautiful flower design etched into them. She never went anywhere without them. With guns, no one messed with her.
Ryan found her way to Christopher's house and tied up her horse. She had only been there a few weeks before her family was shot. Christopher's little sister bounded straight down the porch and wrapped herself around Ryan's legs tightly. She really didn't know much about children, and was at a loss as to what to do with the girl. She smiled and hugged the small child. "Anna, Anna! You look like a boy!" she grinned up at the woman. Ryan laughed. "That I do." Maggie grabbed Ryan's hand and practically drug her into the house. "Chrisopher ast Amy to marry him." the young girl squealed in delight. "She's gonna be my sister."
As soon as Ryan and Maggie stepped into the house, Ryan was bombarded with voices calling out to her. She grinned as Amy ran to her and engulfed her in a hug. "Did you hear that. I'm gonna be Mrs. Christopher James!" she cried in delight. "You two are so perfect together. I'm so happy for you." Ryan said happily. "Anna." Christopher smiled as he approached the cousins. "You definitely look.... different," he grinned and kissed her cheek. "Yah, well....... you know," she grinned. She looked up at him a bit more serious. "Amy tell you why?" His smile faded and he nodded his head in response.
"Yes. Why can't we let the Law take care of it? You and Amy should stay here in St. Joseph. This is where you belong now. With your family," he said. "The Law. Sure!" Ryan scoffed. The "Law" had told them to forget about it and take husbands. Get married, have babies and forget about it. That was just the wrong thing to tell Ryan. She ain't that kind of girl right now. Christopher didn't like the look on Ryan's face. "At least just consider it," he smiled. She nods in response.
The commotion inside was overwhelming for Ryan so she slipped out the front door for some fresh air. Ryan made herself comfortable on the porch bench and waited for the sun to set. Bowdry had no idea the girls were on his tail. As far as he knew, the girls were normal girls and had gone to their closest relatives which were hundreds of miles away.
Ryan knew from a reliable source that Bowdry and his bunch were settled in Sweetwater for a few weeks. Ryan thought it may be a good idea for her to rest in St. Joseph for a bit. The best time for her to slip out of town would be the night of the wedding. Ryan heard the door squeak open and Amy's voice clear. Amy knew the girl's temperament and knew she was ticked at the comment Christopher had made about the Law. Ryan smiled at how much Amy knew her. "I'm fine," she answered her. Amy sat next to Ryan and searched for the right words.
"You know, I was thinkin. You know, maybe it ain't that important anymore. Our Ma's and Pa's wouldn't want us to be doin this anyway. I really wanna stay and marry Christopher. You know, there could even be someone here for you too," she smiled sheepishly. Ryan smiled at her cousin. "I don't think there's anyone out there for me. No man could handle a woman with two Colts who knows how to use them," she laughed. "What man wants a wife that can out shoot and out ride him? One like me," she smiled at Amy. Ryan saw in Amy's eyes that she was looking to her for an answer. "I think we should stay here for a bit. You and Christopher get married!" she grinned at Amy. Amy smiled to her cousin and darted back inside the house. *At least one of us is happy,* Ryan thought.
A few days had passed and Ryan had decided to stay. She wanted to see her cousin happy, and she was. She envied her and the love she shared with Christopher. She had a feeling that it was something she would never experience. She was right. No man wants a woman like her but she can't help it. Ryan snapped out of her gaze and looked up waiting for Amy to come out of the dressing room. "How about this?" Amy asked, emerging from behind the curtain. Ryan smiled. Her cousin was beautiful. "That's the one Aim. That's it. You'll send that man spinin out of control when he sees you." "You're right. This is it!" she giggled and spun around the room. "Now for YOU," she stooped, grinned and pointed to Ryan. Ryan stiffened. "I hate dresses!" she whined. "I saw this one earlier and thought of you. It's perfect." Amy smiled pulling a blue dress from behind the counter.
Ryan's eyes widened. "Wow.... I mean, I suppose that will do," she grinned. It's an amazing shade of light blue with delicate lace around the cuffs, neck and bottom. Ryan grabbed it from Amy's hand and darted into the dressing room. She shed her men's clothes and slipped the delicate dress on. She spun around once, letting the dress' full skirt fly all around her. She stopped and gazed upon the woman that stood before her in the mirrior. *Wow. That's me.* she told herself. She quickly changed back into her normal clothes and steeped out, dress in hand. "Well, where's the dress?" Amy demanded. "It fits," Ryan grinned at her crookedly. "You'll just have to wait and see."
Amy changed and finally Christopher popped his head into the store. "You ladies ready?" he asked. They both nodded yes and he stepped in to pay for the dresses. The three began to stroll down the walk and quickly Ryan realized she was definitely not needed anymore. With package in hand, she slipped off to venture off for herself. Along the way, she came upon the most beautiful Palomino she had ever seen tied to a hitching post. She stopped to pet him and get a better look at the gorgeous horse. She was quickly interrupted as someone flew into her from behind, making her drop her package, trip and fall, left arm and shoulder into the water trough. She glared up at the tall dark haired man who had shoved her hard without a word of sorry. He seemed to not even notice pushing her. That was just the tiny event that sent Ryan off the deep end.
"Excuse me," she said gruff, tapping the man on the shoulder. He turned, an annoyed look across his face. Before one could get a good look at the other, Ryan pulled back her fist and sent it flying into the man's jaw. His head snapped left and Ryan tried to shake the pain from her hand. The man turned his head slowly and grabbed Ryan's wrist as he lifted his own fist to hit "him" back. He glared at her, then tightened his grip on her wrist. "Ladies shouldn't go walkin around punchin men less they wana be punched back," he snapped. He threw her arm down, jumped on his horse and rode off with a bag of mail. Ryan glared at the direction he had disappeared off into and huffed. Noticing the bag of mail he was carrying, she guessed that he rode for the Pony Express. Ryan was so full of stored up rage that she saw red and went temporarily crazy. She really didn't want to punch the handsome man, but he just did the wrong thing at the right time.